There is a range of cases for smartphones and tablets, some of which are designed to protect them from nasty bumps. Some, like www.lifeproof.com, are waterproof as well as drop proof, which can be just the thing if you plan on taking your tablet or phone near a beach this summer.

If your iPhone is in a waterproof Lifeproof case, when it gets covered in sand you can rinse it under a tap.

Other iPad cases worth considering if your tablet is going to be used by small hands are Studio Proper's Clumsy Case or Speck's iGuy, both of with encase your tablet in a spongy frame.

With a smart phones, the first thing to know is what safety is needed to protect it.. Picture: ThinkStock

Even if you don't want a shockproof, waterproof case, some sort of case is a good idea to prevent scratchers.

Unlike magical jewellery in Tolkien tales, there is no one case to rule them all. Look around before you buy and ask your friends what they like and why.

Some people like their tablets to be in a leather-bound cover, others want something that's low on padding but high on style.

While you're looking at cases, there are some like Padacs's Rubata Mini that have a keyboard built in.

Or, if you plan to use your tablet as a laptop replacement, you might want to invest in a wireless keyboard, such as Logitech's Tablet Keyboard for iPad or Apple's wireless keyboard, which connect to your iPad through Bluetooth.

If your new gadget is an Apple device, you can head along to your nearest Apple store for free workshops on using your iPad, iPhone or the iCloud. Register for a session through the Apple website.

You might also want to consider Apple Protection. An iPad comes with free telephone support for 90 days and a one year warranty. Apple protection extends both of those to two years.

Chris Griffith takes a look at the Nokia 920, the brand's most serious tilt at the smart phone market with a Windows platform.

1. Flickr (Google Android, Apple iOS): For the past several years, this photo sharing site has mainly been populated by "serious'' amateur photographers. With a new app, and public outrage against Instagram, Flickr is suddenly popular with the cool kids again.

2. iMovie (Apple iOS): Whether you just want to have some fun turning your life into a movie trailer or transform the hours of holiday videos you shot into something watchable, this is the tool for you.

3. IMDB (Google Android, Apple iOS): The website emerged in the early days of the web and it's still the number one place to turn to for movie lovers. Whether you are looking for screening times in your area or information on films and filmmakers, this has everything that's great about the movies without the smell of stale popcorn.

4. Pages (Apple iOS): Fans of Microsoft Word might dismiss this as too simple but you'll be surprised by the formatting capabilities of Apple's word processor. And, yes, it does open and save documents in Word format and saves documents to the cloud.

5. Jamie Oliver (Apple iOS): So many cooking apps, so why go for this one? The instructions are clear, the recipes are simple and the videos will help you understand it all. This is just for the iPad but there is also the 20 Minute Meals app for Android.

6. Tweetbot (Apple iOS): Twitter has its own app, and there are plenty of alternatives. If you're a Twitter user, give this a try. Easy to navigate and popular with many tweeps.

7. Camera+ (Apple iOS): There's nothing wrong with just using Apple's built in camera, but this has long been one of the most popular alternatives. Easy to use if you want to keep life simple and plenty of processing options if you want greater control. Save your photos to your iPhone or iPad of share them to Flickr or Twitter.

8. Pocket Weather Australia (Google Android, Apple iOS): Well presented, detailed weather information sourced from the Bureau of Meterology and constantly updated. If you want to keep an eye on whether it will be hot or not this summer, this is the weather app to go for.

9. Paper (Apple iOS): If you have a creative side, let it free in this app by FiftyThree that Apple recently named app of the year. Think of it as the blank canvas and you are the artist.

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